


Little Beasts and Where to Hide Them

by michiiGii



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Loneliness, Zen is extra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 02:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9857420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michiiGii/pseuds/michiiGii
Summary: Zen's career is finally kicking off!You're happy for him, but can't help but notice how little you see him, anymore.So, tonight is for the two of you!...sort of.Happens after the After Ending.





	

It was a lazy Saturday night.  Zen had been hard at work for over a month, leaving early in the morning and returning well into the night.  Your boyfriend’s career had definitely been picking up; for the past several weeks, he had been juggling film sessions with a new TV drama series, as well as doing a lot of commercials.  The downside was that you hadn’t seen much of him, lately, other than a goodbye kiss in the morning and maybe a midnight snack once he got home, although you called and texted each other often.  You were happy for him, of course, but he knew that you missed him.

So, tonight was going to be all about the two of you.  He finally had an evening off, and he was determined to spend it with you.  You had just eaten a lovely dinner, together, cooked by you but with prep help from Zen.  Now, you two were cuddling on the couch, rubbing noses and being generally affectionate.  It was a beautiful evening.

“I’m glad we did this,” you said, nuzzling Zen’s neck until he chuckled. He was ticklish, there.

“Me, too,” he agreed, running his fingers through your hair.  He had you in his lap, arms around you securely.  “I missed you…”

You were going to murmur something along the same lines to Zen, but you were interrupted by a scratching sound.  You froze, but Zen frowned as he turned his head towards the noise.  It seemed to be coming from the laundry room.

“Just ignore it,” you whispered, leaning up to give him a kiss. Unfortunately, he shook his head, so you missed his mouth and kissed his chin, instead.

“That sound’s been going on all night,” he muttered, starting to move you off of his lap and onto the couch beside him, “I should check it out.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” you insisted, latching onto his arm, “Stay~…please?” you added, using that voice he liked.

“Aw, babe,” he smiled warmly at you, “I’ll be back~!  But I have to check it out; what if it’s mice?”

 _That’s not what I’m worried about_ , you thought, but let him release himself from you and walk away, _Well…it’s probably about time._

You stayed on the couch, subconsciously crossing your arms worriedly. You knew exactly what the sound was, and it wouldn’t be long until Zen-

“WHAT THE HELL?!”

You cringed a little, hearing Zen’s outcry, but hurried across the apartment to the laundry room to his side.  Zen was at its doorway, staring incredulously at a small, white, fluffy creature sitting peacefully on the floor, looking not at all bothered that Zen had just yelled.  In fact, its tail may have wagged just a little bit faster at the attention it was receiving.

“Babe, please tell me I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing,” Zen implored, pointing accusingly at the _thing_ there.

“…Lovely Ze-” you started.

“No! No, no sweet talk!  You, play fair!” he exclaimed, already feeling his resolve eroding at his favourite nickname, “NO.  Don’t do that!”

You pouted, but knew he was right.  You stepped past him and entered the laundry room before you answered.

“This is a puppy,” you said, stooping down and picking up the little creature in question.

“Oh my god,” Zen exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air, “What the hell is a dog doing here?!”

“I found him in a box…” you mumbled, your voice muffled as you buried your face in the puppy’s fur.  The little guy squirmed happily in your arms, pleased to be snuggled, “Someone abandoned him near my work…”

“Baby…” Zen pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, “Babe, don’t even ask-”

“Can we keep him?” you interrupted, knowing what he was going to say next.

“OH MY GOD,” he exclaimed again, falling to the floor dramatically, “BABY, I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY-”

“Zen, please, he’s so little!” you begged, holding the small puffball out at your boyfriend, “And so alone!”

“ _Don’t_ beg!” Zen tried to say commandingly, although his authority was compromised due to his classic OTL pose, “You _know_ I hate saying ‘no’ to you…!”

“And he’s so smart and sweet!” you continued, “ _Look_ at his face!”

Zen glared up at you, then at the puppy.  … _Shit_ , he thought, seeing that indeed, the creature was cute as crap.  Its fur wasn’t conventionally fluffy, but had a sort of corkscrew curl to it.  Kind of like polyester pillow filling.

And it seemed to be smiling at him, its little tail wagging and its pink tongue hanging out, although it was not actually drooling.

The thing was adorable.

 _…shit,_ Zen thought again, wondering if the dog was intentionally making its big, black eyes sparkle at him, _She has a point…_

“And Zen, darling…you aren’t sneezing,” you pointed out gently.

Zen blinked, then realized that you were right.  He hadn’t sneezed at all.  Not all night, while you had been preparing dinner, and not since opening the laundry room door.

“…Did Seven make you a robot?” he asked bluntly, standing up and brushing off his knees.  He didn’t look happy, but he was willing to talk; that was a good sign.

“No, this one’s real,” you answered, holding the puppy out a little further, “Take him!  He’s gentle.”

Grudgingly, Zen did as he was bidden.  The warm creature-thing settled into Zen’s arms as naturally as if it had known Zen its entire life.  It smiled up at Zen and gave a little _wuff_.

“… _shit,_ ” Zen hissed, frowning harder at the animal in his arms, “Why am I not allergic to you?”

“It’s a bichon frise,” you explained, timidly standing closer to Zen to pet the dog, “It’s a hypoallergenic breed.  It shouldn’t bother you.”

Zen glared daggers at the puppy.  It licked the tip of his chin.

“He likes you!” you said happily.

“Stop smiling,” Zen grumbled, finally looking at you and seeing the hopeful expression on your face, “Hypoallergenic or no, how are we gonna take care of this guy?  We both work.”

“He’s surprisingly independant,” you answered, scratching the dog under its chin, “He’s fine waiting for me to come home.”

“How do you know that?” Zen said skeptically.

“Um…” you looked away, “Well…”

“Babe…” he gave you a stern look, “What are you hiding?”

“Um…” you hesitated, then said to the floor in front of your feet, “…he’s been here for a week, now.”

“A WEEK?!” Zen shook his head, incredulous, and put the dog on the floor, “You’ve been keeping the dog for a _week_?! I’ve been living with a dog for a week?  That’s what you’re saying?”

“You didn’t even notice…” you tried.

“BABE. I could have _died_ ,” Zen exclaimed, taking both your hands into his, and squeezing them slightly, “I’m allergic to animals, babe.  …I could have DIED.”

“I know!  I’m sorry!” you said apologetically, a pained look on your face, and suddenly your explanation came out in a rush.  

“It was only going to be for the one night!  It was raining, and I couldn’t just leave him outside, so I took him home, and kept him here.  But then you didn’t start sneezing when you got home, so I thought, 'ok, the puppy can stay for the night.’  But then you left so early the next day, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye to you, and I felt so _alone_ , and this guy seemed to realize it, and he made me feel so much better.  So then I thought, 'ok, maybe he can stay until I can find a new home for him,’ but none of my coworkers or friends are looking for a pet, so he’s been here this whole time, and…and…”

You trailed off, a little out of breath.  You felt embarassed.  Bringing home a stray puppy was something that a little kid did.  And you knew Zen liked how mature you could be.

 _How mad is he, now?_ you wondered, afraid to meet Zen’s eyes.

“Babe…”

You braced yourself.

Zen sighed, then pulled you into a hug.  You thought he was going to say something, but instead, he held you silently, stroking your back comfortingly.  Slowly, you let yourself melt into his embrace.  He wasn’t mad.  Not really.  He understood what you were feeling.

“…Do you really need this dog?” Zen asked, finally, when he felt you were a little less tense.

“I don’t need him…” you said softly, wrapping your arms around Zen’s waist, “If you’re not comfortable with him, we don’t need to keep him.”

“Hm,” Zen murmered non-committally, still holding you close.

“It’s just that I’ll need more time finding him an owner,” you admitted, “I’m gonna have to put ads up, or something.”

“Hm…” Zen loosened his grip on you, and crooked a finger under your chin, making you meet his gaze, “Babe…are you really that lonely without me?”

You hesitated, and he saw.

“Tell me,” he pressed gently.

“…Sometimes. Yeah,” you admitted, feeling your cheeks start to flush, “Especially lately.  I’m just so used to seeing you all the time. It was one thing to only get texts or calls from you before we met. But now…I’m so used to being able to reach out and touch you any time…I miss it.”

He smiled affectionately at you, then gave you a kiss.

“You love me,” he teased, then added in a more serious tone, before you could protest, “Almost as much as I love you.”

“How do you love me more?” you pouted, “I adopted a puppy.”

“I…” he hesitated, then blurted out, “I smell your hair when you’re asleep.”

“Huh?” You were surprised.  You had no idea.

“Sometimes I kiss you,” he added, speaking quickly, “Or watch you dream.”

“…oh?”

“At work, as soon as the director yells cut, I run to my phone to see if you’ve messaged me.  You usually don’t.  I delete, like, a dozen messages a day before I can send them to you, because I don’t want you to think I’m clingy.”

“Well, that’s not so-”

“Sometimes, I ask Seven to check on you at work.  Y'know, through the cameras. You’re always fine; I don’t know why I’m still doing it.”

“Um…”

“During the sexy commercials, I’m always thinking of you, like when we’re together, and the things that you do to me, and sometimes, it’s too much, so I have to take a break and-”

“Y'know, loving each other isn’t a competition,” you interrupted, a little afraid to know where he was going with that, then giggled a little, “I feel stupid, now…”

“No, no, I get it,” Zen disagreed, motioning at the puppy who was snoozing in a bed you had made for him out of old sweaters, “What you did makes more sense.”

You hugged Zen tight, then asked hopefully, “Does this mean I can keep him?”

Zen made a face, but answered, “…I always said that if I could have a pet, it would be a dog,” he grinned at the excited expression flooding your face, “ _Yes_ , we can keep him.  But you’re taking care of him.  He’s your responsibility.”

“Of course!” you nodded emphatically.

“And you have to love me more than the dog,” Zen added quickly, “And it has to be obvious.  None of that close second crap; you have to love me the most.”

“Sold!” you laughed, then kissed your boyfriend enthusiastically, “Thank you so, so much!  Lovely Zen, you are the best!  What should we name him…?”

_-fin-_

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted for Valentine's Week on michiiGii-writes-mysme.tumblr.com (Follow me!)


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